Marachkin Wants His Paintings Back

1 April Aliaksei Marachkin, painter and public activist, chairman of the international organization World Association of the Belarusians "Batskaushchyna" addressed the Tsentralny district police department of Minsk for getting back the confiscated artworks. On 29 March he was released from jail. Marachkin was arrested for five days on charges in dirty swearing and resisting to the police.

In his interview to the BelaPAN information agency he said that among the confiscated items there was the Lialki (Dolls) painting, the gonfalons of the Belarusian Language Society and banners with different texts. Among the other reasons for the address he stated that the police had not given to him a copy of the confiscation report with enumeration of the confiscated items.

‘In the address I described all circumstances connected with the events of 24 March, when the police unlawfully broke into my art studio late in the evening, searched it and confiscated my works, the majority of which were meant to decorate the officially allowed procession in honor of the 90th anniversary of the Belarusian People’s Republic,’ Marachkin said.

According to the artist, during the confiscation the policemen stated that they would hold an expertise of the confiscated items within 10 days. The artist hopes that the police will return the artworks to him.